BOOK REVIEW

"As the tension mounts, readers will rightly fear that no good end can result; like Mathew and Mugo, readers' hearts will be burned by this intense slice of historical realism. (author's note, afterword, glossary, Kikuyu and Swahili names) (Historical fiction. 10-15)"

Set in Kenya between November 1951 and March 1953, when indigenous Kikuyus fiercely resisted the British settlers who had stolen their lands, this somber story sheds light on a dark period of rebellion and repression fueled by racial prejudice and fear.
Read full book review >

"It is hard to imagine a wide readership for this well-meant collection but, as Naidoo reminds in an introduction, these children challenge us not to look away. (Nonfiction. 11-15)"

Workers from the International Rescue Committee retell the stories of 18 of the millions of children who, because of war, have fled their homes and are now living in camps in other parts of their own countries, in neighboring countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, or in new homes in the UK and the United States.
Read full book review >

BOOK REVIEW

"The cultural content is less this time around, but continues especially in the diary entries addressed to Iyawo, a sculpture that embodies home and reminds Sade of her mother. (Fiction. YA)"

Still negotiating their refugee status in England, Femi and Sade find that the arrival of their father hasn't solved all their problems in this sequel to The Other Side of Truth (2001).
Read full book review >

BOOK REVIEW

Setting each of these seven stories in a different decade of the Apartheid or post-Apartheid eras, Naidoo (The Other Side of Truth, 2001, etc.) offers glimpses of Apartheid's effects on body and spirit, as well as the underlying integrity—in both the oppressed majority and the oppressing minority—that has allowed South Africa to make its transition without the widely expected bloodbath.
Read full book review >

Wearing a deliberate African patina, this refreshing collection of 16 Aesop fables takes place in the South African veld, giving these timeless moral tales a visual and verbal facelift.
Read full book review >

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.